REFUSAL TO JOIN ISTANBUL SUMMIT DOES NOT MEAN INTRA-AFGHAN TALKS STALLED, TALIBAN SAYS

Wed 21 April 2021:

The Taliban’s refusal to participate in the international conference on Afghanistan in Istanbul does not mean that the intra-Afghan negotiations stalled, the movement continues contacts with the government, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Sputnik in an interview.

Istanbul was scheduled to host a conference with participation of the Afghan government and the Taliban from April 24-May 4. However, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced on Tuesday that the event would be postponed, as it makes no sense without the Taliban’s participation. The movement earlier refused to participate in any conferences until all foreign troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan.

“Our talks have not stalled. We are in contact with the other side. We may not have made any progress, because some other proposals have come forward, such as the Istanbul Summit, some new approaches and new designs arrived, it may have had an impact, but the Doha negotiation process is ongoing and important decisions may be made in the future,” Mujahid said.

The Taliban spokesman went on to say that the group complied with the Doha agreement on foreign troops’ withdrawal reached with the US early last year, while Washington violated the deal.

“The Doha Agreement is still in place and is an important document for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, for Afghanistan to become independent, and for the United States and its allies to allay their concerns about Afghanistan, but the Americans violated it, which is unfortunate,” Mujahid said.

According to the spokesman, the violations by Washington include airstrikes, failure to ensure prisoners swap and the pullout of foreign troops, among other things.